Cable pull recording device



Jan. '15,v 193s.

L. W BARTOL CABLE PULI` RECoRmNG DEVCE Y Filed June 22, 1931 gmntoz LM/.Barfol 20 ratus. on the ilexible shaft 35.

Plantea 1.11.15, 1935 y 41,937,315-

UNITEDA STATES PATENT OFFICE canna rum. ascoltiamo navrca Lona w. nmol, New raras. Y.

Anuman June zz, 1m, seri-.1 N. 545,991

s claims. (c1. zes-z) My invention relates to mechanism for indirecording mechanism is mounted in a box 30 for eating and/or recording the pull on a rope or protection and convenience. cable. The recording pen or pencil 31 is carried by an One object of the invention is to provide simple arm 32 which projects downwardly from the and reliable mechanism for continuously recordshaft 33. This arm may itself be resilient or 5 v ing the`pull on a traveling' cable. otherwise biased toward the recording strip to Another object is to indicate changes inthe maintain proper operating pressure of the pen pull or stress applied to a cable during hoisting or pencil. A spring 34 tends to move the arm operations and the like. towardone side or the other. The shaft 33 is 1U In carrying out the invention I provide a rotated by a ilexible shaft 35 geared at one end dynamometer or weighing device connectedto the to the weighing device and geared at the other cable and capable of being calibrated according end' through the worm 36 and worm wheel 37, to any desired system or units of measurement. which latter is on the shaft 33. Preferably a recording strip, disc or cylinder is The weighing scale or dynamometer 13 may be driven by the cable or by clock mechanism and o! any well known spring scale type in which a receives the record of the pull. pull on the load member l2 causes the rotation Fig. l is a side view of apparatus embodying of a shaft 36 carrying an indicating hand 16 movone form of my invention. able over a dial 17. On the shaft 36 is also carried Fig. 2 is a front view of the recording appaa mitre gear 3'7 which coacts with a mitre gear 38 2o Fig. 3 is a detail side view of the recording It willbe apparent from the foregoing that the apparatus. longitudinal pull on the cable 10 produces a ver- For convenience the mechanism is carried by tical pull on the weighing device which is proa suitable frame 5 and is provided with a number portional thereto. Obviously the change of angle of guide pulleys such as 6, 7, 8 and 9 for the of the pull on the weighing device due to the 25 cable 10. This cable may be wound on a drum 11 movement up and down of the pulley 7 varies or power may be applied in any other suitable the angle through which the shaft of the weighing manner. The various pulleys may be mounted device is rotated and the dial 17 will'be calibrated so as to permit them to move parallel to their accordingly. As the pulley -7 moves up and down axes so as to follow the cable. The pulleys 6, 8, motion is transmitted through the ilexible shaft 30 etc. are mounted in bearings which preserve their to the pen or other marking device 31 so that vertical height and thus maintain the cable conthe pull on the cable is recorded ,on .the strip 20. tacts in a definite plane. I In case the strip 20 is driven by the movement The pulley '1 is carried by a yoke 12 suspended of the cable it is obvious that the chart will 35 from a weighing scale or dynamometer 13. This record the pull on the cable at any particular weighing scale is supported directly or indirectly point in the length of the cable. In case the by an eye bolt 14 so that it may be adjusted up strip 20 is driven by. a time-clock mechanism and down by suitable means lsuch as nuts 15. obviously the pull will be' recorded according The weighing device is provided with an indicator to a time scale rather than a cable length scale. or pointer 16 which travels over a scale 17 which I also wish it understood that any type of chart 4U may be calibrated according to any desired system may be employed, for instance, a conventional of measurement. Adjustment for calibration can rotating disc or a rotating drum instead of the be made by means of the nuts 15 at the top. longitudinally movable strip.

The record strip or sheet 20 of any suitable As an illustration of one special use of this character is driven by suitable clock mechanism apparatus, I may mention its application to the 4;, or by the cable itself. Such latter mechanism checking of the condition of underground conconsists of a roller 21 which is carried by an arm duits such as electric light or telephone conduits. 22 and pulled downward by a spring 23 against In such cases it is customary to rst pull through the cable. The pull of the spring may be ad the conduit a test'cable and mandrel to see if justed by a thumb nut 24. the conduit is clear. Frequently an obstruction 50 Flexible shaft 25 is driven by the roller 2l and will be found which cannot be cleared by the in turn drives a worm 26 which meshes with a drawing in of the mandrel and in such cases it worm gear 27 on the shaft 28. Ihis shaft has is ordinarily necessary to break into the conduit pin wheels 29 engaging the edges of the recording at various points in order to locate the cause of strip 20 for the purpose of feeding the same. The trouble, thus involving not only great expense 55 and annoyance but frequently prolonged delay which may interfere seriously with an entire installation. According to my invention, I run a pulling rope connected to the test cable through this apparatus.

A chart being provided, the marker records -on the chart foot by foot the pull on the rope. When an obstruction is met, of course the increased resistance is immediately recorded on the chart. From this it can be seen at a glance exactly how 4 many feet from the point of beginning the ob- `struction exists. In a recent test of such apparatus in connection with a test on a lighting conduit, the position of an obstruction was indicated 327 feet from `the point of beginning. Upon inspection the obstruction was actually found within approximately one foot of thepoint indicated on the chart thus saving a great deal of time and expense.

I claim:

1. A cable stress recorder for a longitudinally moving cable, said recorder comprising two relatively xed guide members for the` cable, a guide pulley mounted to move between said guide members in a direction transversely to a line connectin'g the guide members and engaging the cable so as to be moved transversely of the cable v as the tension on the cable varies, a weighing support for said cable guide pulley, a" movable record chart, mechanism driven by the longitudinal movement of the cable and connected to said chart to drive thechart in proportion to the longitudinal movement of the cable, a marker coacting with said chart to form a' reco'rd thereon, and mechanism connecting the weighing sup-N' port and said marker for moving -the markerproportionally to the variations in tension of the for a longitudinally moving cable, said indicator comprising cable guides for said cable, a pulley coacting with the. cable between said guides and moved by a transverse component of the stress in said cable, a frame, a weighing device on said frame having a :rotatable shaft, means connecting said shaft and said pulley, a' exible shaft geared to said rotatable shaft, a marker driven by said exible shaft, a wheel driven by thelongitudinal movement of said cablefa second exible shaft geared to said wheel anda record receiving. member actuated by said second flexible shaft in' contact with saidmarker;

3. A cable stress indicator for a longitudinally moving cable, said indicator comprising a frame, a marking member, a record receiving chart, a weighing device on said frame having a rotatable shaft, a gear on said shaft, a eidble shaft constituting a driving connection to` said marking member and having a gear engaging said weighing device gear, a pulley coacting with said cable, means connecting said pulley and said rotatable shaft to move the marking member in proportion to the stress applied to the cable, a second iiexible shaft operatively geared to said record receiving chart and having a gear, and a spring-pressed.

roller having a gear engaging said last mentioned gear, said roller engaging the cable for driving the chart at a speed proportional to the longitudinal travel of the cable.

4. A cable stress recorder comprising relatively stationary guide members for a longitudinally movable cable, a' guide pulley mounted between said guide members and engaging the cable to be moved by the changes in tension on the cable,-

" a weighing support for said guide pulley, a rec-k ord chart, a roller rotated by the longitudinal movement of the cable, means of connection be-`A tween said roller and said chart for driving the chart at a speed substantially proportional to the speed of the cable, a marker coacting with said chart, and meansfof connection between said -weighing support and said marker for moving the marker proportionally to the movement of said weighing support and guide pulley.

5,-A recording cable pulling stress indicator comprising .a supporting frame, cable guide pulleys mounted at' opposite ends of said frame, said pulleys being rotatable without moving the frame, "a scale supported by Aan upper part of the frame, a roller connected to said scale and located between said guide pulleys,vwhereby said scale indicates tension on lsaid cable, a recording mechanism including a marker connected to said scale, a recording surface, and'means driven in synchronism with the longitudinal movement of said "cble to move 'said recording surface with respect to `said marker.

-A cable pulling stre'ss 4recording apparatus comprising a rigid framework having guide Wheels mounted at opposite ends thereof, a tension weighing scale supported by an intermediate portion of the framework, a guide pulley supported by said scale and located between said guide wheels, a cable guided by said wheels and said pulley, whereby said scale may continuously measure the tensionon said cable between the guide Wheels as the cableis pulled over the guide pulley between the guide wheels, a recording mechanism including a marker connected and actuated by the weighing scale, a recording surfaceY arranged to'- receive a record from the marker, a roller spring pressed against the cable and driven thereby, and a driving connection between said roller and the recording surface whereby the tension on the cable is continuously graphically recorded on the recording surface.

LOUIS W. BARTOL. 

